The present invention generally relates to surface penetrating fastening devices and more particularly to a delivery tool design and method to controllably affix cylindrical objects to planar surfaces with the assistance of an impact mechanism.
Electric, manual, and pneumatic tools are generally known for driving fastening devices which affix tubing, cabling, and other cylindrical objects to a surface. In building construction, for example, tubing is used in radiant heating systems, water delivery systems, gas supply systems, air conditioning, etc. As a part of installing such systems, the tubing is conventionally mounted against planar surfaces. For example, when installing certain types of in-floor heating systems, an arrangement of tubing is affixed to the underside of flooring or on top of the flooring base then covered with concrete. In other applications, tubing is frequently mounted to other types of planar surfaces, such as wooden joists, studs, or walls.
One of the methods of mounting tubing to a surface entails the use of specially configured fastening devices. Such fastening devices are provided in various configurations, one of which generally includes a U-shaped body having a cutout dimensioned to receive a tubing cross-section. The U-shaped body generally straddles the tubing and has parallel sides that respectively abut the mounting surface on opposite sides of the tubing. The fastening device also includes at least one surface penetrating member, such as a nail. Prior to use, each of the nail(s) is at least partially embedded in a respective one of the parallel sides of the U-shaped body. When the fastening device is mounted against the surface, a portion of each of the nails is driven through a portion of the body, projecting from the U-shaped body toward and against the mounting surface as the nail(s) is driven into the surface. Such fastening devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,801,061, 4,801,064, and 5,350,267 of Peter G. Mangone, Jr.
Delivery tools have been developed to fasten the U-shaped fastening devices onto surfaces. Such tools contain a magazine of fastening devices and a manually actuated structure to sequentially dispense fastenings device and drive the nail(s) of the fastening devices into a surface. For example, one such manual delivery tool is available from the Plumbing Products Division of Peter Mangone, Inc. in Lakewood, Colo. 80228. This product is known as the xe2x80x9cRB-5 Clip Gun.xe2x80x9d
While prior art delivery tools are useful and effective, they have conventionally been manually actuated and utilize driving forces repeatedly applied until the nails or surface penetrating members have been fully driven to their desired depth and not over driven so as to injure the tubing or rupture the housing. As the amount of force necessary to accomplish this cannot be predetermined due to the different resistance properties of various mounting surface materials and thicknesses, conventional tools that deliver a single predetermined driving force have been unsuitable, as the single force may be inadequate or too great, resulting in driving the nails incompletely or too far. For example, single-fire pneumatically actuated devices have not been considered suitable for this reason. Accordingly, the need exists for a power-assisted fastening device delivery tool that can deliver multiple driving forces until, and only until, the nails or surface penetrating members are driven into the surface to a desired depth.
The present invention provides a tool and method of controllably applying fastening devices, such as clips, staples, or other surface penetrating structures. The tool drives the fastening devices by the repeated action of an arcuate force transmitted through a perpendicularly driven ram.
For example, in a preferred embodiment, the invention provides an application apparatus, referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cdelivery toolxe2x80x9d, which includes a driving member operable to deliver pneumatically actuated driving forces. Said driving member is pivotally mounted relative to a base member that contains the fastening devices to be applied. The base member has a chamber for holding a plurality of fastening devices so that a next available one of the fastening devices is automatically delivered to a position preparatory to being driven. The base member has at least one bottom surface adapted to position and support the delivery tool against a generally planar mounting surface. The driving member is pivotally mounted to the base member toward a rear end of the base member and slidably mounted to the base member toward a front end of the base member so as to facilitate movement along an arc resulting from pivotal motion between the driving member and the base member. Additionally, the fastening tool includes a ram which is slidably disposed near the front end of the base member and moves in a guided orientation generally perpendicular to the generally planar mounting surface. The ram is mounted to cooperate with the pivotal movement of the driving member relative to the base member so that the ram translates said movement in a perpendicular direction relative to the mounting surface as the driving member pivots. When moved, the ram contacts the surface penetrating member(s) of the fastening device, driving the surface penetrating member(s) into the mounting surface and pushing the fastening device from the chamber as the driving member is pivoted toward the base member and the drive force(s) is applied.
Furthermore, the fastening tool includes a repeatable impact mechanism mounted within the driving member. The impact mechanism has an actuatable piston slidable relative to the driving member. The piston has a force delivery member to transmit impact force from the piston to a proximal edge of the ram, the ram having a limited amount of movement other than its guided movement perpendicular to the mounting surface. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the force delivery member has a concave face, and the proximal edge of the ram is convex and shaped to generally mate against a curvature of the concave face as the driving member pivots relative to the base member. As a result, the concave face contacts against the ram in a generally radial orientation relative to the curvature of the concave face.
According to an embodiment, the concave face and proximal edge of the ram are shaped so that the concave face delivers impact forces to the ram toward the chamber generally perpendicular to one mounting surface.
In an embodiment, a portion of the movement of the concave face can be along a front-rear direction relative to the ram.
In an embodiment, the concave face has a radius of curvature directly proportional to a radius of curvature of said arc. In various embodiments, the concave surface can be generally spherical or generally conical.
In an embodiment, the impact mechanism is pneumatically actuated substantially in the same manner as the PALM NAILER(copyright) manufactured by DANAIR(copyright) and is actuated to drive downwardly when the ram pushes up against the force delivery member.
In an embodiment, the base member is adapted to receive a section of tubing.
In an embodiment, each of the fastening devices includes: a generally U-shaped housing with a pair of sides; and a pair of nails, each of the nails being at least partially contained within a respective one of the sides; wherein the ram has a pair of tines which cooperate with and respectively drive the nails, driving portions of the nails to project from the U-shaped housing into the surface and pushing the fastening device from the chamber.
In an embodiment, the fastening tool includes a biasing member to urge the handle to pivot away from the base member.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a delivery tool which delivers accurate, repeated driving forces to nails of the fastening device in a controllable fashion.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a delivery tool which is capable of driving surface penetrating members of the fastening device to a predetermined depth, thereby avoiding overdriving or underdriving the fastening device.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a delivery tool which drives fastening devices in a reliably perpendicular orientation relative to a mounting surface.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a delivery tool which has an impact mechanism which efficiently and repeatedly delivers impact forces to the ram as the angle between the ram and the piston of the impact mechanism changes.
These and additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the figures, description and claims herein.